San Francisco's famed Haight Ashbury Music Center shuts down after 40 years in business

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Monday, January 20, 2020
SF's Haight Ashbury Music Center to shut down
San Francisco's iconic Haight Ashbury Music Center is closing its doors for good due to low sales and high cost of rent.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco's historic Haight Ashbury Music Center is shutting down for good after months of holding store liquidation sales.

The iconic shop located in heart of the Haight-Ashbury District has been selling a variety of musical instruments for 40 years, with some famed visits by music legends including Carlos Santana, Jerry Garcia, Joe Satriani, Eddie Vedder, Danny Glover, and George Benson.

The shop's owner, Massoud Badakhshan, says it is hard to compete with online retailers, and the high costs of rent in San Francisco make the store no longer cost efficient to stay open.

RELATED: San Francisco's Haight Ashbury Music Center holding liquidation sale

The shop will close its doors on Monday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m., and any remaining inventory will move to Badakhshan's music store in Redwood City.

The Haight Ashbury Music Center served as a full-service music shop for beginners to pro level musicians since 1972 and renamed in 1980, and has been an iconic fixture of the Haight retail scene receiving many local business arts awards.